


A Little Trust

by Raine_Wynd



Category: Highlander: The Series
Genre: Additional Warnings In Author's Note, FanWorks Con 2019 Zine; Friendship, Gen, Immortality, Pre-Immortals
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-02
Updated: 2019-09-02
Packaged: 2020-10-05 06:08:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,729
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20484137
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Raine_Wynd/pseuds/Raine_Wynd
Summary: Duncan's newest ward needs a little help from Richie.





	A Little Trust

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the FanWorks Con 2019 Zine, which had to meet a maximum word length of 5000 words.
> 
> Content warnings: Canon-typical discussions of violence, no actual violence committed in fic, reference to past instance of a minor in peril, reference to death of a minor canon character immortal.
> 
> Thanks to LadySilver for the beta help - getting this down to under 5,000 words was a lot more difficult than I thought it would be, so thanks for helping me figure out what to cut and what to keep! :-)
> 
> Also: not connected to anything else I've done, though I freely admit to playing what-if with the same four data points of late. ;-)

_June 2019_

Richie paused as he pulled his motorcycle to a stop in front of the large dojo, which was in a strip mall in north Seacouver. Strong immortal presence told him the info Amanda had given him was not out of date: North Seacouver Martial Arts was Duncan’s. A curtain hid the interior from view; a schedule of classes was posted to the interior of the window.

Stepping through, Richie saw no one at the check-in desk, which had a tablet-style register connected to a desktop computer. Behind the lobby, the space split into a hallway that divided two studio spaces from the locker rooms.

Raised voices made Richie pause as he walked forward, and he unzipped his motorcycle jacket to better access his sword, just in case. He walked in to see Duncan, who was dressed in a loose shirt and jeans, arguing with a woman with long brunette hair streaked with red and blonde, who was dressed in a rock band t-shirt and yoga pants. Like Duncan, her feet were bare out of respect for the dojo’s hardwood floors. Her skin tone was the color of butterscotch.From the way Duncan was standing, Richie could tell he was trying not to use his greater height to intimidate the woman, who looked to be five inches shorter than Duncan.

“I don’t see why not,” the woman argued. “I was driving in Atlanta.”

“Illegally,” Duncan pointed out. “And we’ll continue this discussion later, Hailey.” Looking relieved to have an excuse to end the argument, Duncan looked in Richie’s direction.

Taking his cue, Richie stepped forward, careful to keep to the perimeter of the dojo since he still wore his motorcycle boots. “Hey, Mac,” he greeted.

Duncan hastily closed the distance; expecting his hug, Richie set down the motorcycle helmet he carried. He returned the embrace readily.

“My God, Richie. You had me worried,” Duncan began. “I lost track of you and no one knew where you were.”

Richie shrugged as he stepped back. “Some days, I wasn’t sure either.” He nodded to the woman who stood in the middle of the dojo, looking curious. Now that she had turned, Richie saw her t-shirt stretched over a generous bosom, and she had a heart-shaped face. Richie put the argument he’d overheard with her looks and estimated she was no older than seventeen. Now that his sense of immortal presence had adjusted to account for Duncan, he suspected the faint, secondary presence was from her, meaning she was a pre-immortal. “Who is the lovely lady?”

Hailey blushed at his compliment.

Duncan made the introductions. “Hailey, come closer, please. I’d like you to meet Richie Ryan, an old friend. Richie, this is Hailey Reeves, my ward. Hailey’s been with me since March.”

Richie shook her hand. She hadn’t yet developed the callouses of martial arts, which made Richie think Duncan had started her on a program to build her core muscle strength, as he had initially with him. “Pleased to meet you,” he said.

“What brings you here?” she asked, not hiding her irritation at having her argument interrupted.

“Duncan was my legal guardian when I was seventeen,” Richie told her, and watched her greenish-gray eyes widen as she realized she wasn’t the first teenager Duncan had helped. “He gave me the first real home I ever had. I’ve wandered the world for the last several years, and I was hoping I could come home.” He turned to Duncan. “I swear I’m not in trouble; I just need a place to stay while I figure out how much I need to save up for an apartment and see who’ll hire me.”

Duncan smiled and patted Richie’s shoulder reassuringly. “Of course. Give us a few minutes to finish closing up here. Hailey, would you check the locker rooms and make sure no one’s left any water running so we can head home? And restock the toilet paper while you’re there?”

Hailey shot Richie an indecipherable look before slipping on a pair of ballet flats and exiting the room, going across the hall to the locker rooms, stepping into the women’s first.

“Looks like you have your hands full,” Richie noted when the door had shut behind Hailey, amused. “You won’t let her drive your car?”

“I want her to go to a driving school here, since she needs to meet that requirement to get her learner’s permit,” Duncan told him, sighing. “She wants me to buy her a car and then get her driver’s license when she’s eighteen.”

Richie grinned. “Oh, like I did?”

“You at least had better reasons.” Duncan sighed. “Speaking of – is anyone hunting you?”

“Been six months since anyone’s challenged me,” Richie admitted. “Talked the idiot out of it, thankfully.” Switching to French, he asked, “Does Hailey speak this?”

Duncan shook his head. “No. I’ve told her about immortals but only because the man she met on the Internet who convinced her to run away from home was one. He didn’t want to let her go without trying to prove he was the ‘better man.’” Scorn laced Duncan’s voice. “He wasn’t. We wound up fighting; Hailey saw me fight him and take his head.”

“Did she believe you?”

“Not at first, but she eventually said she believed me, and that being here with me was better than being with her mother. I didn’t believe her until I talked to Hailey’s mother, who told me that if Hailey ran away to be with some guy, then she was done being her mother.”

Richie winced. “Her mother thinks you’re that ‘some guy.’”

Nodding, Duncan said, “Hailey’s seventeen; her eighteenth birthday is January 29. I have legal custody until then.”

“She doesn’t know yet she’ll be one of us?” Richie asked.

“No, and I’d prefer not to tell her,” Duncan warned.

Richie grimaced at that. “I’ll support you, but if she asks outright, I won’t lie. Michelle hated you for not telling her, Mac, and immortality broke her. She begged me to take her head. When I told her no, she arranged it so I wound up with her Quickening anyway.”

Alarmed, Duncan asked, “How long ago was this?”

“2001. I was in Paris, working at Sanctuary.” Richie shook his head at the memory.

Duncan made a face. “I’m sorry, Richie, but Hailey isn’t Michelle. Hailey didn’t grow up spoiled. If anything, she’s more like you, and liable to take off when she doesn’t get her way. I’m trying to get her to learn that rules have value and consequences.”

“Hence the argument about driving?” Richie asked. At Duncan’s nod, he started to say more, but heard footsteps, so he switched back to English.

“I remember your rules, Mac. No overnight guests, no excessive drinking, no drugs, no parties without permission, clean up after yourself, do your laundry, and don’t be reckless. It’s not a problem.” Richie gestured to the dojo. “Though I’m surprised you aren’t living upstairs.”

Duncan grinned briefly at the reminder. “I wanted to separate work from where I lived,” he admitted. “This place allows me to have enough space to host multiple classes and have locker rooms.”

“Where are you living now?”

“About a mile east of here,” Duncan told him. “The retail space is a flower shop; it’s one of the anchors of the neighborhood.”

“Nice,” Richie remarked as Hailey stepped up.

“Can we go now?” she demanded. “I’m hungry.”

Richie stifled a laugh. “Me too.” To Duncan, he said, “If you don’t mind me cooking, I’d be happy to trade cooking dinner for not having to wash dishes.”

“Sure,” Duncan agreed, putting on shoes and stepping into the lobby. “Do you have a cell phone? Traffic this time of night is a little crazy. I remember you used to use your motorcycle in ways I can’t since I’m in a car.”

Richie grinned and told Duncan the number. “It connects via Bluetooth to my helmet.”

“Really?” Hailey asked. “That’s cool! Can I ride with you?”

“Sorry, Hailey, but I don’t have room on my motorcycle for a passenger, and I don’t take passengers with me unless they come with a bumper-to-bumper guarantee.” They stepped outside, and he gestured to his BMW R1200. The passenger seat held two duffel bags strapped in place with heavy-duty straps.

“But you could put your bags in Mac’s car,” she argued.

“I could, but I’m not going to.” Richie made his voice firm.

Hailey pouted. “But why not?”

“I thought you were hungry and wanted to go home?” Richie asked pointedly.

She flushed at the direct hit and stomped off to Duncan’s car.

* * *

“Where do you want me?” Richie asked Duncan once they were inside Duncan’s apartment. Hailey retreated to her room.

“Upstairs; we’ll need to get you proper furniture, but there’s a futon up there. I’ll get you linens. You’ll need to share the hall bath with Hailey or ask me if you can use the master bathroom.”

It didn’t take long to set up the futon. Richie took off his motorcycle gear, setting the lot in a pile near the door.

“Appreciate this, Mac,” Richie said sincerely.

“You’re welcome. I close the dojo on Wednesdays, so we can go to the furniture store and get you a new bed. You have enough space for a seating area – did you want to keep the futon and have a small table or chest here?”

“A chest would be great, and a box fan. I remember how hot it can get on the top floor of a building.”

Duncan chuckled wryly. “Do you need money?”

Richie shook his head. “I have some left still, but not enough to risk renting an apartment without a job.”

“Out of curiosity, where were you last?”

Richie grinned. “Serving as crew for the _Lady Jane_, a historic sailing ship that circumnavigates the globe.”

Duncan whistled softly. “No wonder no one could find you – you weren’t on land!”

“Needed it, honestly,” Richie agreed. “Paris got really intense with headhunters as the decade ended.” He gestured to the stairs. “After you.”

Richie left his sword in his motorcycle jacket but took the jacket down with him. He hung it on the coat tree near the front entrance, unwilling to be completely without it.

After surveying what Duncan had in the pantry, Richie made chicken stir-fry with noodles. After taking a bite, Hailey exclaimed, “Where did you learn this?”

Richie chuckled. “Duncan taught me. Before, I thought this was stuff you only got in a Chinese restaurant.”

“Can you teach me?” She looked at Richie coquettishly.

“Surprised Mac hasn’t tried yet,” Richie told her. To Duncan, he said, “I remember you trying to teach me the day after you told me you were now my legal guardian.”

“I don’t want Duncan to teach me,” Hailey said stubbornly. “I'd like it better if you taught me.”

“Because I’m the new shiny?” Richie asked dryly. “Or because I’m not as old as he is?”

Caught, Hailey pouted. “Does that mean you’re going to be a prick about rules?”

“Considering as long as I live under Duncan’s roof, I abide by his rules – yes.” Richie met her gaze. “I get it, Hailey. I spent a lot of my childhood having rules shoved down my throat. I ran away when I was fifteen, joined a gang, and thought I was cool shit. I also was asked if I would sell myself more times than I care to remember, starved more often than not, and stole shit I had no business stealing or selling. That means I can sit here and tell you: don’t fuck up the chance Duncan’s giving you. People out there aren’t as kind or generous.”

“Why weren’t you here, then?” she demanded.

“Because I’m not seventeen,” he countered, “and I found my way elsewhere. Problem is – I missed home. I missed talking to Mac, and I missed Seacouver.”

Hailey said nothing the rest of the meal, though Duncan tried to engage her in conversation.

By Thursday, Richie had a new bed complete with a metal bed frame and headboard, and a sitting area set up in his room. He had unpacked his duffel bags and saddlebags, run his clothes and his sleeping bag through the laundry, and he’d gone through the online classified ads, looking for jobs. Duncan had given the job of dojo receptionist to Hailey, which meant Richie had plenty of time to himself in the house. He had also discovered his bedroom door didn’t stay shut, so he left it propped open rather than deal with it.

Saturday night, Richie had gone out dancing, wanting to get laid, and had succeeded. He’d texted Duncan not to expect him home until late, and had stumbled into bed around two AM. He had texted Duncan a warning of his arrival, so Duncan didn’t greet him at the door with a scowl. He had showered, stumbled upstairs with his stuff, and fell asleep, naked.

Hailey’s footsteps, combined with the faint feel of her pre-immortality, startled Richie awake. Instinct had him reaching for his sword; he was on his feet, ready to defend himself, before Hailey’s shocked gasp registered.

“Did I startle you?” she asked nervously, eyeing his sword, and then him, averting her eyes when she realized he wore nothing.

“Hell yes,” he told her, breathing through the adrenaline spike. He set his sword back in its place beside his bed and quickly put on a pair of underwear, then pulled on his jeans. “Hailey, for safety’s sake, yell my name before you enter? Or knock on the door, even if it’s open? Please? I’m decent now.”

“Do you always sleep in your birthday suit?”

“No, just when I’m too tired to bother putting on anything after I’ve taken it off.”

She stared at him. “You’re like Duncan, aren’t you?

“Yes.” Richie spent a moment to open the curtains to let in the light.

“That’s why he said it was ok for me to stay home today. You’re here and you could protect me from guys like Wallace. Before, he made me go with him to church, even though I’m not Catholic.” She studied him. “You look like you’re my age but you’re not. You must be like 300 or something.”

Barking a laugh, Richie gestured to the futon, which he had turned into a couch and placed under the window across from his bed. A blanket chest served as his coffee table. “No, I’m younger than that.”

“Two hundred?” she tried as she sat down.

“No, I’m forty-five.”

She stared at him, shocked. “I thought all immortals were super old.”

“No. I was born in 1971 and died when I was nineteen. Most immortals I’ve met are hundreds of years old, yes, but that’s only the successful ones. Some of us never see a hundred.”

“How come? I thought the magic that made you meant you got to live that long.”

Richie shook his head as he joined her on the futon. “Not always. I’ve had other immortals want my head; if they’d succeeded, you and I wouldn’t be talking.”

Hailey said nothing for a moment before declaring, “But that’s not fair! You’re nice, handsome, and you don’t seem like a killer!”

Dryly, Richie noted, “No, it’s not fair, and none of those qualities matter to a headhunter.” He let that sink in before saying, “Now that we’ve got that settled, what can I do for you?”

“Will you teach me to drive?”

“Hailey, I talked to Mac. He wants you to do it right by attending a driver’s ed course, which he’ll pay for. Why are you so resistant?”

“Because I already know how to drive, and I don’t want anyone thinking he’s my dad. He’s so handsome and poised.” She pressed a hand to her chest, swooning a little.

Richie stared at her. Memory of how Michelle had lusted after Duncan filled him with dread. Taking a breath, Richie said gently, “Hailey, as far as the law’s concerned, he _is_the equivalent of your dad. You’re his ward.”

“Yeah, so?”

“So that means you’re looking at Duncan like he’s eligible bachelor material, and he’s not looking at you that way at all. You’re his ward. He won’t cross that line.”

In a small voice, Hailey asked, “Ever?”

“Not ever. I thought the same thing too, once. I thought the reason he picked me off the street and brought me into his house was so that I could be the spice to his relationship with Tessa. Tessa cried when I told her that. She said nobody should ever make me feel like all I was good for was sex.” Richie swallowed hard. “I was a foster kid; ran away when I was fifteen. Nobody gave a damn in my life the way Tessa did, and she even argued with Mac and Connor about how they treated me. I never had unconditional love from family until the MacLeods.”

Hailey stared at him, mouth agape. “Why did you run away?” she demanded.

“Because I was in a gang of petty thieves and they cared about me more than anyone,” Richie told her. “I was headed for a career as a thief. Broke into Mac’s shop – he had an antique store then. He had me arrested, but then he dropped all charges and offered me a home and a job.”

In a small voice, Hailey told Richie, “Wallace wanted me to go with him when I was fifteen. I told him no, I wanted to wait until I was older. He flattered me, told me I was a spitfire for resisting him, but now I look back and I see where he manipulated me.”

Richie nodded. “Like I told you: you got lucky, Hailey. Really lucky.”

Hailey studied him a moment longer. “You won’t argue with Duncan for me?”

“Not on this,” Richie told her. “What he’s asking you to do makes sense, Hailey. He wants you to learn how to drive safely, and with an expert who does that kind of thing for a living.”

She pouted. “I know how to drive already.”

“What’s the problem with maybe learning a few things you didn’t already know? I’ve been riding motorcycles since I was fourteen, but Mac insisted I take a motorcycle safety course anyway. He wanted me to learn what I didn’t know to ask.”

“What does that mean?”

“For example, I didn’t know what it meant to split a lane, which is when a motorcycle comes up on the right side of a car and shares the lane with the car, or that it’s only legal in California.”

“Wouldn’t that be incredibly risky?”

“It is, and I don’t do it anymore, even when I’m in California.”

“But if you’re like Duncan, you’d heal from getting hurt.”

“I’d also probably attract a hell of lot of attention for miraculously walking away from a motorcycle accident.” Richie sighed, remembering how cocksure and stubborn he’d been at seventeen. “Hailey, give the class a chance. If nothing else, you could learn from your classmates’ mistakes before you make them yourself. Did you ever drive in rain?”

“Not in rain.” Hailey bit her lip. “And maybe not very far.”

“It’s okay to admit to being scared,” Richie assured her. “Duncan will push you to be the best person you can be, but only if you’re willing to take that leap.”

“I can’t imagine you were scared of anything when you were seventeen.”

Richie barked a laugh. “Yeah, I was, more than I’m willing to list right now. I need coffee and breakfast.” He headed downstairs, taking his sword with him, a move Hailey noticed.

“You’re more paranoid than Duncan,” she said as she followed him into the kitchen.

“Yes. Someday I’ll tell you why. What else is on your mind?” He hung his sword on the hooks he’d installed on one end of the kitchen island.

“Duncan said he wants to teach me French and Gaelic. How come?”

“Because he sometimes spends winters in Paris, France, where he has a lot of friends. The Gaelic is because he’s Scottish.”

“That part’s real?”

Richie started coffee brewing in the pot and glanced over his shoulder at Hailey. “What, you were waiting for confirmation from someone else?”

“Maybe,” Hailey said defiantly, taking a seat on the opposite side of the kitchen island. “He doesn’t look Scottish.”

“We’re all born orphans, so who knows what our genetic lineage really is. You should hear his cousin, Connor – his accent is all jumbled and doesn’t sound like anything else.” He grabbed a mug and poured himself coffee before doctoring it with sugar. “But yes. The MacLeods are from the Highlands of Scotland, and they still own land there, complete with the crumbling ruins of a castle.”

Hailey’s eyes widened. “You’ve been to Scotland?”

Richie nodded and sipped his coffee. “Duncan will likely take you there before it gets too difficult to travel. And before you ask, I was born here. Duncan took me in a month before my eighteenth birthday; after I died a year later, he taught me how to live as an immortal.”

Hailey frowned. “That explains why he acted like you were a son to him. He was really worried about you.”

Richie put together breakfast for himself – a bagel with cream cheese and smoked salmon – and wordlessly offered to make Hailey a duplicate. She shook her head, so he stacked extra salmon on his bagel and put everything else away.

“He worries about you the same, you know,” Richie pointed out. “He takes that seriously.”

“But I’m seventeen, not seven!”

“At seventeen, he was being groomed to be clan chief,” Richie countered, “which means he remembers that whole feeling of thinking he was old enough to know shit, but not being old enough to be allowed to do shit.” He paused, sensing there was more at stake. “Talk to me, Hailey. What’s bothering you so badly you had to wake me up, and don’t tell me it was about driver’s ed.”

Hailey looked away, biting her lip. “I thought if Duncan sees you as his son, he’d make me leave because I’m not handling anything the way he expects me to.”

Richie shook his head. “He won’t. If you need to talk to someone, I’ll listen, Hailey. If you want someone to hang with who looks like he’s your age, I’m happy to do so, keeping in mind I won’t break any of Duncan’s rules or do anything to risk your safety or well-being.”

“Guess that really means you won’t let me ride with you.”

“Told you I don’t take passengers. They’re more likely to fly off and get hurt if I had a sudden stop.”

Hailey winced at the image. “I hadn’t thought about that.”

He flashed a grim smile. “Seems like you aren’t thinking beyond what you want. Do you just look at what someone’s offering you and think, ‘this looks good, I’ll go with it’ or ‘this sucks, so I’m going to run away?’”

“Why not?” she demanded, fire flashing in her eyes. “Why shouldn’t I ask what’s in it for me?”

“Because sometimes it’s about what the greater good is, or who will be affected by your decision. Did you think your mom would take you back if Duncan brought you back?”

“I didn’t think she meant it when she said don’t come back!” she cried out. “I don’t want to be here! I want to be back in Atlanta! I want my friends, but Duncan won’t let me use the Internet, and he won’t buy me a smartphone! He said it’s because I have to earn his trust because I ran away with some dude on the Internet because he liked my Instagram and told me I could make money in Las Vegas making videos. I didn’t think Wallace meant porn.”

Richie lifted an eyebrow. “Would you do it again?”

Hailey looked at him incredulously. “No, of course not! I learned my lesson.”

“And if some guy commented on your Instagram, wherein you posted pictures of your life here, would you assume he meant you no harm?”

“Probably,” Hailey said, then pressed a hand to her mouth as she realized how simply her relationship with Wallace had started.

“Then Mac has a point about your Internet usage,” Richie noted. “Until you know what to look out for, it’s wiser for you not to be tempted. Besides, if you had all those things, would you be happy?”

Struck by that, Hailey stared at him. He had time to finish his sandwich before she spoke again. “No,” she said at last. “I mean, Duncan gave me a phone but it’s not a smartphone, so it works for what I need. My friends all wanted to get pregnant and have babies, or they were obsessed with how they looked on Instagram. I don’t want a kid and I’m done with Instagram – I met that creep immortal through it. My mom told me I was adopted and sometimes she’d say shit that made me think she regretted adopting me.” She met Richie’s gaze. “I’m scared, Richie. I don’t know what I’m supposed to do next.”

“Then take things slowly,” he suggested. “Take the driver’s ed class. Trust Mac has your best interests at heart. If you don’t think he does – ask him why he’s doing what he’s doing. Use the job at the dojo to help you figure out what you like to do about that job – or any job. Just because Mac gave it to you doesn’t mean you have to do it forever. Figure out what you want to do with your life. Find friends who’ll support your choices, agree or disagree with them, argue why, and still defend your right to make them.”

“When I get scared like this, I want to run.”

“You’ve been through a lot in a few months. If all the changes in your life are making you want to be elsewhere, then you should ask Duncan to get you to a professional therapist so you can learn coping strategies. Or just ask him; he’s been to therapy. He’s talked to priests and psychologists. He’d be the first to tell you it’s not a weakness to seek help.”

Hailey met Richie’s gaze. “He won’t think less of me for asking? Even if he’s ancient?”

“No. Running away doesn’t solve anything; it creates new problems instead.”

Hailey straightened her shoulders. “I promised Duncan I wouldn’t run away anymore, but–” She let out a breath. “I hate not getting my way and being scared.”

“Being scared is part of life, Hailey. Mac and I can teach you how to be stronger, so you have the confidence to get through the fear, but you’re going to have to take that first step by yourself. As for not getting your way: you can’t get your way all the time. If you did, you’d be worse off than you are now.”

Hailey closed her eyes briefly. “Would it be too much if I asked you for help?”

Richie grinned. “No. That’s one thing I had to learn to do the hard way, but with Duncan’s help, I got better at it.” He reached across the kitchen island and grasped her hand. “He’s only really scary when he has a sword in his hand. Trust me on that.”

Hailey chuckled softly. “Yeah, I saw the lightning when he killed Wallace King. I was supposed to stay put in the bar, but I didn’t trust the other guys there not to take advantage. Duncan looked so furious. I don’t think I’ll ever forget that look.”

Richie nodded, controlling his flinch as the discussion made him remember the Dark Quickening. “Talk to Mac, Hailey. Let him know what you want and how you feel. He does a surprisingly respectable job of guessing, but if you don’t tell him anything, he’ll assume you’re fine with whatever he comes up with.”

“I noticed,” Hailey said dryly. “Okay. But you have to stay in case it goes wrong.”

Richie chuckled. “I’ll be right here,” he assured her. She had a long way to go, he thought, before she was ready to learn what destiny had in store for her. He was seeing why Duncan had urged him to wait, but he promised himself to do what he could until then to ensure Hailey was ready for immortality.


End file.
